1994 Hungarian Grand Prix
14 August |officialname = X Marlboro Magyar Nagydíj |circuit = Hungaroring |location = Budapest, Hungary |circuittype = Permanent racing facility |lapdistance = 3.968 |laps = 77 |distance = 305.536 |pole = Michael Schumacher |polenation = GER |poleteam = |poletime = 1:18.258 |fastestlap = 1:20.881 |fastestlapdriver = Michael Schumacher |fastestlapnation = GER |fastestlapteam = |fastestlapnumber = 5 |winner = Michael Schumacher |winnernation = GER |winnerteam = |second = Damon Hill |secondnation = GBR |secondteam = |third = Jos Verstappen |thirdnation = NED |thirdteam = }} The X Marlboro Magyar Nagydíj, otherwise known as the 1994 Hungarian Grand Prix, was the tenth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Hungaroring near Budapest, Hungary, on the 14 August 1994.'Hungarian GP, 1994', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr558.html, (Accessed 05/08/2019) The race would see Michael Schumacher claim a dominant victory for , amid more allegations of Benetton actively circumventing the rules. Indeed, an investigation into the pitlane fire suffered by Jos Verstappen in Germany had revealed that Benetton were using a modified refuelling rig, although no official action was taken. However, allegations about their use of illegal software were still rife, with many of their rivals suspecting that Benetton had done nothing to change their cars after receiving a warning after the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. Qualifying would only serve to heighten those suspicions, with Michael Schumacher sweeping to pole position by over half a second. Damon Hill was best of the rest ahead of his teammate David Coulthard, while Gerhard Berger claimed fourth for . The start of the race saw Hill get a better initial launch than Schumacher, prompting the German racer to shoot to the inside of the circuit to block the Brit. Fortunately Hill was prepared for such a move and so backed off without hitting the German, with teammate Coulthard otherwise occupied trying to fend off the attentions of Berger. There would be drama in the early stages as the two s contrived to hit each other, with those two also taking out Ukyo Katayama in the #3 . That left Martin Brundle and Olivier Panis in the points as, up front, Schumacher eased away from Hill and Coulthard. Indeed, the race quickly settled into a procession, although Schumacher would lose the lead to Hill during the stops, opting for three stops rather than the Brit's two. However, the traffic would fall almost perfectly for the German racer, who would lose little time to the Brit in-spite of making an extra stop, and hence emerged with a healthy lead once their strategies were completed. With the fight for victory over attention settled on the fight for third, with Coulthard holding onto the position until he crashed out, having hit oil from Jean Alesi's gearbox. Berger hence inherited the position only for his engine to falter in the closing stages, handing the position to Brundle until his engine failed on the final lap. Jos Verstappen hence swept into third on the final lap. That ultimately was that for the race, with Schumacher cruising home to record his seventh victory of the season, twenty seconds clear of Hill. Verstappen was the last man on the lead lap in third ahead of Brundle, classified in fourth, with Mark Blundell and Panis claiming the remaining points. Background There had been little change atop the Championship as a result of the German Grand Prix, with neither of the protagonists scoring points. That meant that Michael Schumacher had retained his 27 point lead over Damon Hill, with the German racer the undeniable favourite heading into the second half of the season. Gerhard Berger, had clawed his way closer to the "fight" after his first win of the season, with Jean Alesi making way in fourth. In the Constructors Championship, meanwhile, had carved their way back into the hunt, leaping up into second on 52 points. That meant that they would leave Germany some fifteen points behind , while also moving nine ahead of in third. Behind, and were still level on ten points, while had shot from twelfth, and zero points, to sixth, level with . Entry list The full entry list for the is outlined below: Practice Overview Qualifying Friday Qualifying Saturday Qualifying Qualifying Results The full qualifying results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session. *'Bold' indicates a driver's best/qualifying time. Grid Race Report Results The full results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car. ** Brundle, Berger and Fittipaldi were all still classified despite retiring as they had completed 90% of the race distance. Milestones * 750th race entry for a engined car.'1994 Hungarian GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1994&gp=Hungarian%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 05/08/2019) * Tenth Grand Prix entries for Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Olivier Beretta and Olivier Panis. * Ninth career victory for Michael Schumacher.'10. Hungary 1994', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/hongrie.aspx, (Accessed 05/08/2019) * claimed their fourteenth victory as a constructor. ** Engine partners secured their 173rd win. * Jos Verstappen claimed his maiden podium finish. * Benetton recorded their twentieth fastest lap as a constructor. * Andrea de Cesaris claimed the record for most retirements - 132. Standings Michael Schumacher had extended his Championship lead for the first time since the 1994 French Grand Prix, leaving Hungary with 76 points to his name. That meant that closest challenger Damon Hill would be 31 points behind with six races to go, meaning the Brit would have to win half of the remaining races, with Schumacher failing to score, just to get back on terms. Gerhard Berger, meanwhile, was on the verge of falling out of the fight mathematically, being 49 points behind with 60 points left to fight for. In the Constructors Championship it had been a similar story, with finally able to extend their lead after a run of losses during the previous few rounds. They left Hungary with 29 points in hand over their closest challengers , with the Scuderia having failed to score. That meant that had closed in in their fight for second, leaving the Hungaroring just three behind, while had eased away from in fourth. Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown. References Images and Videos: * References: Category:Grand Prix articles Category:1994 Grands Prix Category:Hungarian Grand Prix